Does God really punish people for the sins of their parents and grandparents? That sounds unfair, and we know from Genesis 18:25 that God, the Judge of all the earth does right. He is never unjust in His judgements. It is important that we understand what is meant here because born out of this verse, and a few others that I will show you, a theology of generational curses has been developed. Some pastors will tell you things like this: Just pray this prayer, follow this formula, do these things (which sometimes include giving money) and the generational curse that is ruining your life will be broken. So, what are we to make of all this?
Let’s read Exodus 20: 4-6.
“You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.“
The same words are found in 3 other places, namely: Exodus 34:7, Numbers 14:18, and Deuteronomy 5:9. We do not need to examine all the references in detail because they are simply a repetition of Exodus 20:5. Deuteronomy 5 and Exodus 20 both list the 10 Commandments, so they count as one. This is also how we view repetition in the Gospels. For example, Matthew, Mark, and Luke each tell us about Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration. That does not mean that He was transfigured 3 times. It simply means each Gospel writer told us about the event. So, here in the Old Testament, we have 2 accounts of the giving of the 10 Commandments, and then the other 2 references are quotations from those commands. In the case of Exodus 34:7, it is God revealing His nature to Moses. He is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in love; but He also does not let the guilty go unpunished, but punishes the children for the sins of the parents to the third and fourth generation.
Generational Curses in Mainstream Christianity
You may be interested to know that teaching about Generational Curses has only been prevalent in the church for about 100 years. The late Bible teacher, Derek Prince (1915 – 2003), was one of the first to talk about breaking generational curses. This practice is found mostly in Charismatic and Pentecostal circles but has also crept into many mainstream denominations. The current teaching doing the rounds is that generational curses can only be broken when all the sins of our ancestors have been confessed. Clearly that is nonsense because no one can remember all the sins of their ancestors. We are not even fully aware of our own sins. One possible reason for the popularity of this generational curse deliverance concept is our reluctance to take responsibility for our own wrongdoings. If the troubles I am facing are due to the sins of my great grandfather, that lets me off the hook. Now, all I need is the prayer formula that will break the curse and set me free. In an age of instant solutions, the promise of a quick transformation is very appealing.
The mistake they make…
One of the mistakes the proponents of this kind of thing make, is that they only tell you the Scriptures that appear to support what they are saying. The person who wants to interpret God’s Word accurately must look at everything the Bible has to say on a given topic. Then, if verses appear to contradict each other, we need to dig a little deeper. We must read each verse in its context and as part of the overall narrative of the Bible. So, here are a couple of verses that these false teachers overlook:
- Deuteronomy 24:16 – Parents are not to be put to death for their children, nor children put to death for their parents; each will die for their own sin.
- Ezekiel 18:19-20 – You ask, ‘Why does the son not share the guilt of his father?’ Since the son has done what is just and right and has been careful to keep all my decrees, he will surely live. The one who sins is the one who will die. The child will not share the guilt of the parent, nor will the parent share the guilt of the child. The righteousness of the righteous will be credited to them, and the wickedness of the wicked will be charged against them.
- Obadiah 1:15 – As you have done, it will be done to you; your deeds will return upon your own head.
- 2 Corinthians 5:10 – For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.
- Revelation 22:12 – Look, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to each person according to what they have done.
These verses make it clear that we are responsible for our own actions and will be rewarded or punished accordingly. The righteous are not rewarded for the good deeds of someone else, nor are sinners punished for the sins of another. In the same way, if one of your children was naughty you would not deliberately punish the other one. These verses are easy to understand, it’s the other ones, about punishing children for the sins of their parents, that need a closer look.
TWO CONTEXTUAL INSIGHTS INTO EXODUS 20:5
- Many interpret these verses to teach generational curses, but is this the point of the passage? Whereas God’s wrath is visited to the third and fourth generations of those who hate God, His mercy is showered on thousands of generations of those who love God. Notice the contrast. The point of this passage is not to communicate the number of generations who will be blessed or cursed, but rather that God’s mercy exceeds His wrath. This is supported by Psalm 30:4 – “God’s anger lasts for a moment, but his favour lasts for a lifetime”. In addition, I have never heard someone who believed they were under a curse, saying that they hated God. The wrath being poured out here should not be seen as a punishment for the sin of somebody else, rather, it should be viewed as the consequence of that sin. Our sin damages those around us, and that harm can spill over to future generations.
- These words appear within the 10 Commandments but are only attached to the second commandment, which is about not worshipping idols. God is emphasizing the danger of breaking this commandment because our children learn from our example and might also end up worshipping idols. This was the major downfall of the Israelites. And so, the next generation would also experience God’s discipline, not because their parents worshipped false gods, but because they too worshipped false gods. They learned the practise from their parents but they are responsible for their own actions, not those of their parents. It would be totally out of character for God to curse or punish me because my grandfather worshipped idols or dabbled in the occult; BUT if I follow in his footsteps and I do the same, then I would be accountable to God.
If I rob a bank and I get sent to jail, and, as a result my family are left destitute. My son, in desperation, also starts stealing. He too gets arrested and thrown into jail. Is he being punished for my sin? In a way, yes. But his jail term is not based on my actions, it is on his. He learned the behaviour from me so his crime, and subsequent incarceration, are indirectly a consequence of my sin.
Three Layers of Meaning in those Old Testament verses:
- The first layer is, there are consequences for other people, including future generations, when I sin.
- The second layer is this – sin runs in families. Sinful personality traits can be passed on genetically and by example. Just as little Johnny might have the same walk as his grandpa, babies are born into this world with genetic baggage. It could be a tendency to having a terrible temper, or a pre-disposition to addiction. These genetic factors, in addition to environmental factors, could lead a person to commit the same sins as his parents. Now, it is not an excuse! Each of us is responsible for what we do with the hand we are dealt.
- And the third layer is this – God will keep on disciplining the children for the sins of the parents, for as long as they continue committing those sins. It is not that God punishes me for the sins my father committed. He punishes me because I am repeating the sins of my father. God will continue with this discipline until the cycle of sin stops or until we cross the line and He hands us over to the eternal consequences of our rebellion.
Sin doesn’t want to let go …
God is not slow to forgive. He is forgiving by nature. It is sin that will not forgive. Sin doesn’t want to let go, it wants to destroy you – even if it destroys itself in the process. Let me illustrate: Sin is like cancer. It invades your body, and it will try its best to penetrate every part of you until it kills you. Have you ever wondered what happens to cancer cells after the sick person dies? The cancer also dies. Your sin needs you to feed on and it will kill you – eternally. Sin is ruthless. It is unforgiving. God, on the other hand loves to forgive. He wants to set you free. And He has already provided all that is needed, in Christ, to do just that.